


Cycle of Pain

by truc



Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Injustice 2, Injustice: Gods Among Us, Justice League - All Media Types
Genre: Control, Death, End, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Lasso of Truth, Love, Mind Control, Sadism, Sadness, Suffering, Truth, Violence, Warrior - Freeform, refusing to let go, what is..., what was...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-19 17:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14242122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truc/pseuds/truc
Summary: Diana uses the lasso of truth on Bruce. Nobody is happy.Missing scene in Injustice part 2 in Superman's ending. This is a scene of what might have happened after Batman has been captured by Superman and Wonder Woman, but before Superman uses Brainiac's technology to brainwash Batman.





	Cycle of Pain

"Bruce, wake up," a voice ordered him as someone shook him awake.

As awareness flooded Bruce's groggy mind, he concentrated on his body to enumerate all his physical issues. Broken ribs. Concussion. Difficulty breathing. Maybe a collapsed lung? Definitively a broken arm.

Then, and only then, Bruce opened his eyes to take in his former best friends standing above him, secure in their powers over him. A familiar pain touched his heart, but that too he had learned to ignore.

"Diana. Clark," Bruce responded emotionlessly.

"Bruce," Diana answered with disdain, "You lost for the last time."

"I've been told that before. Somehow, I always fight back," Bruce retorted.

"Fight this, then," she told him as she put the lasso of truth on his arm.

Batman's eyes turned dark, "You will regret putting the lasso on me, Diana, that I can promise."

"We have had enough of your posturing, Bruce. We are now annihilating your resistance, but we still want to know your other hideouts' locations," Kal callously ordered.

Bruce ignored him as he turned to her, "Diana, Clark does not love you as much as he loved Lois." There was an uncomfortable silence until the wounded human continued, "You were not his first choice and I do not believe he will ever love you as much as he loved her."

Diana slowly went down to Bruce's eye level, "You are not in a position to mock our relationship, Bruce. I do not have the patience for your provocations anymore. I won't hesitate to break your neck."

There was a smirk on Bruce's face, "My neck is not much of a challenge for your strength, Diana."

Before Diana can do anything, Kal backhanded Bruce, sending him against the wall, "Silence!"

Turning to Diana, he said, "Let me do it, Diana, you are letting him get to you."

With one hand, he heaved Bruce to his eye level, "Why are you taunting Diana, Bruce?"

The man in his grip did not even squirm, he simply answered, "Because I want to."

Cold fury settled in Kal's face, "We were such good friends back then, Bruce. I know you better than that. Answer me, why did taunt Diana?"

Bruce spat blood before words were forced out of his mouth, "If I taunt her enough, she will kill me."

"She has more discipline than me. Why did you choose her?"

Tremors shook Bruce's body, "You won't kill me. You'll make me suffer because you like my pain. You won't let me go. Diana understands a warrior's path and can grant me a warrior's death."

A weighty silence took over the room.

"You want to die?" Clark asked his former best friend in an almost soft tone.

"I'm tired of this dance we keep doing," the weary man answered, "Why can't you let me go, Clark? It hurts."

Kal gently lowered him back on the ground, realizing his grip on the wounded man literally hurt him.

Diana wordlessly took her Lasso of truth and exited the room, Kal at her heels. He sent one last look at the pained and broken man sitting on the hard floor. There was almost pity in Kal's heart.

Diana opened the door to a vacant room and she sat down. He took his place in front of her.

"Kal, we have to put an end this fight, once and for all," Diana declared, "We have to kill him."

"No."

Diana looked exasperated, "In a way, he is right. If we keep him alive, he will escape and find a way to help the resistance. How many times has he won a desperate position? I don't want you to suffer anymore."

"We can't," Kal answered.

"Why can't we? You killed Ollie and Lex who were both your friends. Neither of them made you suffer as he has. He is the reason you lost Lois and your child!" Diana yelled.

"I know," acknowledged Kal, "but we can't kill him."

"Why not?" impatience was clear in her tone, "He wants me to kill him! He admitted that. I'll do it. I'll go in there and break his neck. It will painlessly end this cycle of suffering!"

Kal shook his head, "We can't kill him. He will become a martyr for his cause as Joker had before."

"Then, I break his neck and we burn his body. We bury it somewhere only the two of us know about. Nobody else will know where he is," Diana answered.

"We can't kill him, Diana."

She glared at him, "I'm starting to think you enjoy getting hurt by him."

He didn't wince. He didn't understand it either. He had felt satisfaction in breaking Bruce's back and fulfilled revenge when he got Alfred killed. Nonetheless, he knew he could not let Diana kill Bruce.

"Diana, we can use Brainiac's technology to control him. It will put an end to this fight without shedding his blood."

She stood up, magnificent in her fury, "Kal, we should kill him instead of waiting for this to blow up. You and I both know that even if you imprisoned him with Brainiac's tech, someone of his resistance will eventually have the idea to save him. Or he'll manage to find a way to avoid mind control. It won't end until he or you are dead. I am tired of seeing you suffer. Just let me kill him. I'll do it, Kal, and you won't have to worry about anything."

Kal floated, looming over her, like the dark vengeance he had become after losing his wife and child, "We are not killing him, Diana. That is final."

He didn't add that Bruce would finally be on his side. He didn't need to. Diana already hated his decision with a passion.

Her eyes glowed with resentment, "I hope you know what you are doing, Kal. I hate seeing you hurt and nobody hurts you quite as profoundly as him, except for the Joker."

Kal almost felt bad for making her suffer.

Then he remembered Bruce before Metropolis's explosion. He had been an important part of the happiness Clark had back then.

Kal couldn't let him go no matter how much it hurt to keep him around.

With Brainiac's technology, Bruce would stay without the cycle being repeated. It was the perfect solution.

**Author's Note:**

> I have been thinking about the Injustice Universe and it seems plain to me Superman will not kill Batman. They seem stuck in a cycle of suffering. This is not what Wonder Woman would want for either of them.


End file.
